Trolley-catcher.



M. A. YEAKLEY.- TROLLEY CATCHER. APPLICATION FYLEDJUNE I, 1908;"

' Patented July 20,1915.

- 4; SHEETS-SH EET ,1.

'M. AIYEAKLEY.

'TROLLEY CATCHER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE n 1908.

' Pat ntd July 20, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEE'TE.

' MIA. YEAKLEY.

' TROLLEY CATCHER. APPLICATION man JUNE-l. -1 908 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

wa rQmu/Q PateritedJiil y 20, 1915.

UNITED STATES MELVIN A; YEAKLEL'OF CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO sum it. MQLAIN, or CANTON,

TROLLEYJ-OATCHEB.

' drawings.

10 Th1s invention relates to means for mam-' taining a trolley rope taut as the trolley end of the trolley pole moves up" and down to adaptitself .to diiferent heights of the wire, and to catch and hold the paying out device 1 for the trolley rope when such paying out 'hcomes unduly rapid as when the trolley jiimps the wire. Such means are commonly known astrolley catchers. To prevent the unduly rapid paying out 2 of the trolley rope, ihhiis heretofore been largely the practice toiprovide dogs which, upon the too rapid movement of'the ropedrum, would rigidly look-S the drum to a stationary portion orstop. 2 More specifically,,. the structure has comprised a drum. fojhe trolley ropeupon which are mounted centrifugal dogs which, upon undue speed of the drum, fly outwardly and engage projections or teeth uponthe inside of the casing. The means described results in an abrupt stopthereby severely, shocking and straining the parts with .the-likelihood of .causing breakage. Particularly is there"a liability of breaking the teeth 'upon the casing, and where these teeth" are integral ,with the casing, as is almost universally the practice, their break age necessitates the provision of a new casmg. 1 g It is an object of my invention to obviate the disadvantages noted in devices o this character and to this enda yielding device at all times active is included in the-means for-stopping the winding drum, whereby the impact of the'parts is cushioned. This yieldingdevice, may be located at any suitable point of the stopping means and may consist of aspring, a friction device or other suitable means 'lwhich will permit'a give of the parts upon the stoppage ofthe drum and at the instant of engagement of the elements for stopping the drums rotation.

in the embodiment of the invention which has been. chosen to illustrate it; and which is shown .i'lithe accompanying'drawings, the

Patented July 20, 1915.

Application filed June 1, 1908. Serial No. 436,147.

yielding device is shown as a normally" active coiled spring. In this embodiment, also, instead of being mounted upon a drum the dogs are mounted upon a separate member which is driven by the drum through the spring referred to." It will be seen that flupon engagement of the dogs anda stoppage of the member upon which they are mountedthe spring will prevent the abrupt stoppage of the drum. I 5

Another object of my invention is to provide means which tend to retain the centrifugal stop dog in contact with a positive stop in the mechanism when said dog has been thrown out by centrifugal forceinto' '70 engagement with said stop to check the up- Ward travel of the trolley pole, so that thereafter, in the event the trolley'pole rebounds or is moved downwardly for any reason, the attendant rew'iuding of the '75 trolley rope on the rope drum, under the action of the slack-absorbing spring, will be accompanied by an effort on the part of said means to retain the stop dog in the path of said positive stop. This being the case, when the rebound of the trolley pole. or itssaid downward travel is completed and the'p'ole again starts-to move upwardly, the centrifugal stop dog will instantly en: gage the positive stop and prevent the fur-' ther upward travel of .tlie tr plley pole. If a spring tending toturn: thedrum to wind' up a trolley rope is wound too tight, the free movementof the trolley in going from a low to a higher portion of the trolley wire will be retarded and the trolley is liable to leave the wire. It is therefore necessary in order that the trolley may adapt itself readily to different heights of the trolley wire, that the spring. referred to shall not be wound too tight.

It is a further object of the invention,

therefore, to provide means for automatically 'preventing'the too tight winding of the spring, both for the'purpose' just stated and in order. to prevent breakage of the sprin Other ebjects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Figure l is a-vertioar section on the line a-b 'of'Fig, 2 looking 'from'the right. Fig. 2 is a "section through the casing: on the line '0d of Fig. 1 looking'in the direction of the" arrow. Fig. 3 .is a section on tl e ,line' e- -f offFig l'looking from the left,- the left 9 similar to -Fig. 3 of a slightly modified form of construction. Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of the said slightly modified construction, the centrifugal dog and its counterbalancing' weight being removed. Fig. 10 is a section on the line 10-10, Fig. 11, and is of another modified construction. Fig. 11 is a section on theline 11-11, Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view of the drum and associated parts showing the connection of the trolley rope with the drum.

Referring to the drawings-The casing I is divided vertically and the two halves 1 and 2 are held together by a bolt 3 which also serves as an axle for the interior mechanism. When assembled the casing has an opening 1 through which the trolley rope 5 passes and there is an opening 6 beneath the winding drum 7. The avindinmdrum 7 .is journaled on the bolt 3. Also ]ourna l'ed on the bolt 3 is the dog-carrying member 8 which is separate from the drum and between which driving connection is established by means of a spring 9.

Upon the member 8 are pins 10 and 11 located on opposite sidesof its center. Upon these pins are respectively pivoted the centrifugal dog 12 and its counter weight 13. The dog and counter weight are connected by a spring link 1% and a spring 15, coiled about the pin 10 and engaging at one end with the dog 12 and at the other end with the member 8, tends to hold the dog out of engagement with the teeth 16 of the ratchet upon the inside of the casing. Upon undue speed the force of the spring will be overcome and the dog will engage with the ratchet teeth. The utility of the counterweight will be apparent when it is considered that the bolt 3 is horizontal and that therefore in the position shown (see'Fig. 2) the weight of the dog opposes the centrifugal force. When the dog-carrying member has turned through 180 degrees and the dog occupies the position shown in the drawing as occupied by the counterweight, the

Weight of the dog will be added to the contrifugal force in producing a tendency for it to move outward. lVith the counterweight and the dog linked together, as shown, their weights are balanced at all times so that gravity has no influence upon the dog, which responds solely to the centrifugal force. The counterweight might also .be adapted to act as a dogbut ordinarily one recess in the hub, as shown at 9.

. bound by the outer leaf.

dog will prove suflicient. The link 14, being of spring. material, the arts are not hampered in their movemen' as would bethe case if this link were rigid.

The spring 9 (see Fig. 3) which constitutes a flexible driving connection between the drum 7 and the dog-carrying member 8, is looped about a pin 17 upon the drum spider. The outer leaf 9 of this spring is coiled about the hub of the member 8 and its end is secured thereto by being bent into a The inner leaf 9 is unsecured, other than at the looped end, except as it is confined and -It will be apparent that as the pin 17 moves in a clockwise direction about the hub (viewing the parts as in Fig. 3), which takes place when the dog-carrying member is arrested by the engagement of its dog with the ratchet upon the casing, the end of the inner leaf will be bound between the outer leaf and the hub of the dog-carrying member so that the spring as a whole will a be stiffened and a considerable resistance opposed to the turning of the drum with relation to the dog-carrying member. Upon p movement of the pin in the other direction, however, the binding of the inner leaf by the outer one will be relieved so that the former can more easily slide upon the latter whereby the tension of the spring as a whole is decreased. With the arrangement as shown, therefore, and with particular referencc to Fig. 3, when the trolley maps the wire and the dogs act to look their carrying member against rotation, the rotation of the winding drum in a clockwise direction is retarded by a la rge spring tension. l/Vhen,

however, the trolley has reached the upward limit of its movement, if it starts to rebound downwardly. the drum starts to move in a counter-clockwise direction whereupon the binding of the inner leaf of the springby the outer relieved and the tension of the spring -as a whole, which would tend to produce a rebound, of the dogcarrying member, is greatly reduced.

Encireling the bolt 3 is a plate 18 having a ratchet 19 upon its'hub. The hub of thell5 plate 18 is preferably loosely sleeved over a reduced portion of the hub for the drum 7. The plate 18 and its ratchet are held against rotation by means of a projection 20 which projects into a recess 21 in thecasing. Pivoted at 22 upon the winding drum is a pawl 23 having its nose normally held in engagement with the ratchet 19 by means of'a spring 24 which is coiled about the pivot 22 and has one end in engagement with the drum while the other end is in engagement with they tail of the pawl, as shown.- The tail of the pawl extends over a hole 25 in, the drum. .This holeis key-hole shaped,

that is, iswider at one'endthan at theiother 1 0' I cannot pass through the narrow portion of (the wide end being at the right hand in Fig. 4). The knotted end of the trolley rope may be passed through the wide portion of the hole and the rope being then drawn into the narrow portion after the knot has been passed within the drum, the

end of the rope is securely fastenedFto the drum ,by reason of the fact that the knot "the hole. Furthermore, the knot operates to elevate the tail end of the pawl thereby throwing the nose out of engagement wit the ratchet'19.

5 The spring 26 is for turning the drum to maintain the trolley rope taut as the trolley adapts itself to varying heights of the trolaly'wire. This spring engages at one end with the hub of the winding drum and at the other end is secured to a segmental spring 27 which rests upon the interior of the casing. The engagement of one end of the spring 26 with the hub of the winding drum is preferably accomplished by bending the end of the spring into a recess as is ed. The other side of the recess, however, is a gradual incline, as shown, so that if the parts are turned to unwind the spring, the

end of the spring will slide out of the recessand about the hub thereby preventing breakage of the spring in case an attempt is made to wind it in the wrong direction. The manner of securing the other end of the spring, namely by means of the segmental spring 27 sliding upon the interior of the casing, prevents the too tight winding of the spring. ,If an attempt is made to wind the s 'ring beyond a certain tension, the segment 2 will slide and prevent it. In some circumstanoes the friction between the segment 27 and a smooth casing interior might be suflicientybut it is preferred to provide teeth 28 as shown upon the casing, in t e recesses between which the projection 29 upon the segment 27 extends. Upon a too tight wind-v ing of the spring, this projection will be withdrawn from the recess in which it. may be located and the-segment will slide about the interior of the casing and relieve the surplus tension.

For securing the apparatus to a car, the

' right hand end of the casing as viewed in exterior. 60.

Fig. 1, is provided with ribs 30 u on its From any" suitable num er oiE ribs extend projections 31. In securing the device to a car a-bracket 32 is fastened to the car and ;this brackethas a central circular recess with an encircling rim 34.

' In the face of this rim are out notches'las 35, extending laterally from which are undercut recesses as 36, these notches and. re:

cesses being adapted to receive the projec tions 31, the projections being entered through the notches and then entered within the undercut recesses by slightly turning the apparatus about its axis. In this manner bayonet joints are formed which secure the bracket and trolley catcher togethen To secure the catcher and bracket in locked relation altarm 37 extends from the casing oi the catcher and in this arm is mounted a slidable boltla 38 which, when the catcher is in lockin position upon the bracket, will register wifii a socket 39. in the'rim of. the bracket, and the bolt being inserted in this socket the catcher .is locked in position on the bracket. The ribs 30 rest upon the interior of the rim 34 and any available number may beemployed, some of them, as shown in Fig. 5, being withoutprojections 31, if desired.

Inthe operation of theo'atcher, assumingthat the slack-absorbing spring 26 is unwound, possibly the simplest manner of winding it up and placing the catcher in condition for operation, :isto loop a section of trolley rope around thed rhm, then holding the respective ends of the loop firm1y ineither hand, to seesaw; the rope back and forth around the druinbaring pgainst the periphery of'the drum when pullingi'rr tlre direction to wind the said spring" 26, "and easing up when pulling in the reverse direction. This is continued until a clattering or chattering noise is heard which indicates that the segment 27 is slipping about the interior of the casing. The loop of the trolley rope is then withdrawn from the catcher and the lower knotted end of it is introduced through the rope opening 25 and the cord is drawn back into the narrow part of said opening so as to throw the said knotted end against the free end or tail of the pawl simultaneously swinging the nose of the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet 19 and releasing the drum and its slack absorbing spring; the latter then acts to r0- tate the drum and 1 wind up the desired amount of trolley rope upon the drum.

' When the catcher is not in use and the trolley rope is removed, the spring 26 would quickly unwind, necessitating its rewinding before it could be placed in use, unless means were provided for preventing it. In the apparatus shown, when the knot of the trolley pawl 23 is removed from the ratchet 19 upon the insertion of the knot of the trolley rope beneaththe tail of the pawl, then the drum is free to move under the, action of the spring-and maintain the trolley rope taut under the raising and lowering of the trolley in adapting itself to varying heights of the trolley wire. If, however, the trolley should leave the wire the drum would rotate at such a rate that the dog 12 would fly outwardly into engagement with the stationary ratchet 16, whereupon the drum would be stopped and the trolley caught, the stoppage being cushioned by the spring 9, which, under these circumstances, exerts a considerable tension, the tension of this spring being comparatively small in retracting the trolley, as has been already noted.

[Another effect of the spring 9 is to be noted. When the trolley rebounds after being caught,.the drum turns to take up the slack rope. If the dog is mounted on the drum, this would result in the backing off of the dog from the ratchet whereupon the dog would be retracted and the drum and trolley released. It will be understood that the spring 9 acts as well to tend to retain the centrifugal dog12 in the path of and in contact-with the tooth with which it has been thrown intoengagement, as to cushion the shock between the drum and the casing when the drum is suddenly and violently rotated. This being the case, the mechanism is adapted to instantly stop the upward travel of a trolley pole when it has rebounded or been forced downwardly after being held from further upward travel by engagement of the centrifugal dog 12 with one of the ratchet bound, nor is the dog 12 removed from the' teeth. In caseof a rebound the spring 26 will take up the slack occasioned by therebound but the 'member 8 will not rotate in the winding up direction during this repath of the ratchet tooth which is engaged when it is thrown outwardly; on the contrary, the dog remains in said path due to the action of the inner end of the spring 9,

which, when the spring 20 is relaxed during the rebound of the trolley pole, tends to unwmd and exerts a pressure on the member 8 in clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig.

The rebound of the trolley pole occupies such a short interval of time that thedog 12 is not moved from the path ofthe ratchet tooth and is therefore ready to engage. the ratchet tooth beftn'e or the instant the pole starts upwardly after-the rebound. *Fur-;

thermore, when thetrolley has left the overhead conductor and the trolley pole has beensuch movement will be immediately stopped by the engagement of the dog 12 with the ratchet 16, which has been retained in readibetween the drum 7 and the dog-carrying 1 member 8, the driving connection between these elements may be positive and supplemental means maybe employed for tending to retain the centrifugal dog in ratchet-engaging position during the winding of the drum when a rebound if the trolley pole occurs. Such a construction I have illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. In this construction the spring 9 is made very light, and thin, it being intended simply for the purpose of tending to retain the centrifugal dog 12 in the path of the ratchet 16 during the wind-- ing up action of the drum 7'when a re-' bound of the trolley pole occurs.

40 are driving lugs on the outer face of the drum 7.

ll are driving lugs on the periphery of the dog-carrying member 8, and with which the said driving lugs l0 are adapted to engage'in order to cause the rotation of the dog-carrying member in anti-clockwise direction with the drum 7, or during the rope winding up action of the drum.

42 are driving lugs on the periphery of the dog carrying member 8 with which the driving lugs $0 on the drum are adapted to engage to cause the rotation of the said member with the drum in clockwise direction. I

In the construction last described, it will be understood that the spring 9 merely serves the purpose of adapting the operation of the centrifugal dog to act substantially instantly after the rebound of the trolley pole, following the action of the device in stopping the upwanltravel of the said pole;

, In Figs. 10 and 11 I have illustrated another modification of my invention. The elements shown in these figures, in so far as possible,-are designated by the same reference numerals hereinbefore employed to designate like parts and element-5. In this embodiment; however, the centrifugal dog 12 ispivoted directly to the drum 7', as is also, the counter-balancing weight 13.

44 is an intermediate member or ring loosely mounted on the shaft 3 and having an internal ratchet 45, with the teeth of ,which the centrifugal dog 12 is adapted to 48, 49 are inwardly projecting lugs or stops carried by the part l' of the casing, and arranged in the plane ofthe projections 46, l7.on the intermediate member 44. Be-

tween these stops or projections 48, 49 the .trolley' pole under such conditions is ef-u 1 action or the catcher.

' vantageousto so make and hold the spring intermediate member.

casing may be grooved or recessed at 50 to receive and retain the cushion spring 51 which may be of less length than the groove 50 arranged at oneside of the stop 48 and between it and the projection 46 on the intermcdiate member, and at 52 to receive and retain the spring 53 between the stop 49 on the casing and the projection 47 on the The cushion spring 51' is adapted to buff or cushion the blow between the interme-' diate member 44 and the casing l when the dog 12 under the unduly rapid rotation of the drum 7 engages a tooth on the ratchet. 15'

and rotates the intermediate member 44. The stoppage of the upward travel of the fected with the cushioning action of the spring 51 between the casing 1 and the proj'ection 46 on the intermediatemember 44.

The spring 53 is a light, relatively weak coiled'spiring, the function of which is to retain the intermediate member 44 and the centrifugal stop dog 12 in engagement during the rope winding up action of the drum 7 incident to the rebound or downward movement of the trolley pole after its upward travel has once been stopped by the I have found it ad 53 in the casing 1, that its compression will require several times the power that the spring will deliver whenexpanding,that is, the spring 53 is intended to be strong enough or to have expansive force suiiicient only to maintain the dog 12 in engagement with a ratchet tooth, but to be so arranged and'constructed as to assist the spring 51 in yieldingly arresting the unwinding of the trolley cord. In the device illustrated, I have shown thegroove 52 in (the casing 1 in. which the said spring is arranged, to taper in diameter from the stop 48 to the stop 49, so that the compression of thespring 53 must be eflected against the frictional resistance of thewalls of said groove 52 to the compression of the said spring therealong, while the spring is free to expand from the stop 49 toward the stop 48.

Many alterations in the construction, and many widely differing embodiments and applications of my invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art of makingtrolley catchers, without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the ap pended claims.

My disclosures anddescription herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting;

What I claim is 1. In a trolley catcher, thecombination with a drum,- means for turning said drum to wind up the trolley rope thereon, and a casing, of means interposed between said drum and casing for stopping the rotation of the drum, the said means including a centrifugal dog and normally active means for cushioning the impact incident to the action of the dog to stop the rotation of the drum.

2. In. a trolley catcher, the combination with a drum, a single spring for turning said drum to wind up the trolley rope thereon, and a casing having stops, of means including a normally active spring and a dog-arranged to engage one of said stops for stopping said drum and for cushioning the impact incident to the action of said dog to stop the rotation of said drum.

3. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a drum, a spring for turning said drum to wind up the trolley rope thereon, and a casing, of means including a ratchet, a centrifugal dog actuated by said drum and adapted to engage "the ratchet to stop the rotation of said drum, and a spring normally free to be operated located between said drum and casing for cushioning the impact incident to the action of said dog to stop the rotation of said'drum.

4. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a winding drum, of a dog-carrying member separate from said drum, a centrifngal dog mounted upon 'said member, a yielding driving connection at all times active between said member and drum, and a ratchet stationary with relation to said member and drua niand adapted to be engaged by said dog to stop said drum.

In a trolley catcher, the 'combination wi'tlia winding drum, of means for stopping said drum, comprising a centrifugal dog, a

ratchet, and a driving connection between said drum and dog including a yielding element at all times active for cushioning the impact when said dog engages said ratchet. 6. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a winding drum, of a centrifugal dog, a normally yielding driving connection be tween said dog and said drum at all times during the unwinding movements of said drum tending to effect. the simultaneous rotation of said drum and dog, and a ratchet stationary-with relation to said drum and adapted to be engaged by said dog to arrest said drum.

7. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a winding drum, of a centrifugal dog,

means connecting said dog and said drumduring the unwinding movements of said drum to cause said drum and memberto rotate together, and a ratchet stationary with.

relation to said member and drum and adapted to be engaged by said dog to stop said drum.

9. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a winding drum, of a spring for turnmg said drum to maintain the trolley rope taut, and means for arresting said drum comprising a centrifugal dog, a ratchet andmeans at all times active between said dog and drum for cushioning the impact when said dog engages said ratchet.

10. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a winding drum, of a spring for turning said drum to. maintain the trolley rope taut, a ratchet, a centrifugal dog adapted to engage said ratchet, and a yielding driving connection between said dog and drum normally active to transmit motion from the drum to the dog. I i

11. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a winding drum, of a spring for turning said drum to'maintain the trolley rope taut, a ratchet, a centrifugal dog adapted to- 'engage said ratchet, and a spring at all times connecting said dog and drum to cause said dog and drum to rotate together during the unwinding movements of said drum and forming the sole driving connection between said drum and dog. y

12. In a trolley catcher, the combination witha winding drum, of means for stopping said drum, comprising a centrifugal dog, a relatively stationary part with which said dog is adapted to engage, and means connecting said drum and dog to normally rotate them together including an element for cushioning the impact when said d033, engages said stationary part.

13. In a' trolley-catcher, the combination with a drum, means for turning said drum to wind up the trolley rope thereon and maintain it taut, a centrifugal dog, a casing, and means located between said dog and casing adapted to be engaged by said dog to stop the rotation of said drum, of means for actuating said dog and retaining it in the oath of saidstoppage means after the dog has, stopped the rotation of the drum in rope paying out direction and during the rope winding up action of said drum incident to a rebound of the trolley'pole.

.14. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a drum, a spring for turning said drum to wind up the trolley rope thereon and maintain it taut, a centrifugal dog, a casing, and a ratchet in said casing and arranged to be engaged by said dogto stop the r0 tation of said drum, of means for actuating said dog and retaining it in engagement with said ratchet during the rebound of the trolley pole.

15. In a trolley safety device, the combination of a casing, a' winding drum, means for rotating said drum to maintain the trolley rope taut, and mechanism interposed between said casing and drum for stopping the rotation of the drum and maintaining said mechanism in operative position during rebound of the trolley, the said mechanism comprising a ratchet, a centrifugal dog arranged to engage therewith, and a spring arranged to exert more resistance to the movement of the drum relative to said centrifugal dog in one direction of rotation 7 than in the other direction of rotation.

16. In a trolley safety device, the combination of a casing, a winding drum, means for rotating said drum to maintainthe trolley rope taut, and mechanism interposed between said casing and drum for stopping the rotation of the drum and maintaining said mechanism in operative position during rebound of the trolle the said mochanism comprising a ratchet, a centrifugal dog, arranged to engage-therewith and a spring arranged to exert more resistance to v the movement of the. drum relative to said casing when said dog is in engagement with the end of its inside leg frictionally engaged between said do -carrying member and the outside leg of the loop; 18. In a trolley catcher, the combination of a drum, a spring for turning said drum to wind up the trolley rope thereon, a ce'ntrifugal dog, a casing having stops adapted to be'engaged by said dog to stop the rotaof said drum, and means interposed between the drum and dog for transmitting the movement of the drum to the dog and for cushioning the impact incident to th@- I action of said dog to stop the rotation of said drum. I

19. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a drum, a spring for turning said drum to wind up a trolley rope thereon, acasing, .and stops therein, of mgans for stopping the rotation of said drum relative to said stops, comprising a centrifugal dog and a cushioning spring. t v

20. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a drum, a spring for turning saiddmrn to wind'up a trolley rope thereon, a casing, stops, and acentrifugal dog arranged toengage one of said stops to stop the rotation of the drum, separate from said drunr Wllld: ing springlocated between said drum and casing for actuating said dog and for cush-- ioning the impact incident to the action of said dog to stop the rotation of the said drum.

21. Ina trolley catcher, the combination of a stationary member, a rotatable member on which atrolley rope is wound, a spring for rotating said rotatable member in one direction, a two-part mechanism between said members for stopping the rotation of the drum comprising a series of ratchet teeth and a dog arranged to engage one of said teeth to stop said drum, and means interposed between one part of said drum stopping mechanism.-and one of said members for cushioning the impact action of said dog.

22. In a trolley catcher, the combination of a drum, means for turning said drum to wind up the trolley rope thereon and maintain it .taut, a centrifugal dog, a casing,

means between said dog and casing arranged to be engaged by said dog, and connections between said dog and drum permitting relative movement between them about the axis of the drum, and operating to retain said dog in the ath of the stoppage means during rebound of the trolley pole.

23. Ina trolley catcher, the combination with a trolley rope winding druin, and a spring for turning said drum to maintain the trolley rope taut, of a series of teeth, a

centrifugal dog arranged to engage one of said teeth, and a yielding driving connection between said drum and dog for actuating the latter, the said driving connection being at all times active, whereby the dog is maintained in the path of the teeth during the rebound of the trolley pole. g

24;. In a trolley safety device, the combination of a casing, a winding drum therein, means for-rotating. said drum to maintain the trolley rope taut, and mechanism between said casing and drum for stopping the rotation of the drumand maintaining its engaging parts in operative relation during rebound of the trolley, the said mecha-- nism comprising a ratchet carrying member,

a centrifugal member arranged to engage therewith and a spring for actuating one of said,members and arranged to exert more resistance to the movement of the drum relative to said centrifugal member in one direction'of rotation than in the other direction of rotation.

25. In a trolley control device, the combination with a casing, a drur'n rotatably mounted therein and means for rotating said drum 1n one direct on, of a series of ratchet I trolley.

and said member for actuating the latter and permitting relative movement between said drum and member when the dog engages a tooth whereby the drum is cushioned.

26. In a trolley control device, the combination with a casing, a drum rotatably mounted therein and means for rotating said drum in one direction, of a series of ratchet teeth carried by said casing, a member rotatably mounted on an axis coincident with the axis of the drum, acentrifugal dog carried by said member and arranged to engage said teeth, and connections between said drumand said member for actuating the latter and permitting relative movement between said drum and member when the dog engages a tooth whereby the drum is cushioned, the said connections operating to maintain the dog in operative relation to said ratchet teeth during rebound of the 27. In a trolley control device, the combination with a casing, a drum rotatably mounted therein and means for rotating said drum in one direction, of a series of ratchet teeth carried by said casing, a member rotatably mounted on an axis coincident with the axis of the ,drum, a centrifugal dog carriedby said member and'arranged to engage said teeth, and connections between said drum and said member for. actuating the latter and operating to maintain said dog in, operative relation to said ratchet teeth during rebound of the trolley. I

28. In a trolley control mechanism a casing, a drum to which a trolley rope is connected, means for rotating the drum to wind the rope thereon, and means for stopping the rotation of said drum in the rope unwinding direction, the said means being de endent upon centrifugal force for its operation and stopping the rotation of said drum in the.

ropeunwinding direction, the said means permitting rotation of the drum in the rope winding directionv during rebound of the trolley without affecting the operative relationship of said stopping means.-

30. In"apparatus of the character described, the combination of two members one of which comprises a drum rotatable relative to the other member and arranged to have arope wound thereon and-unwound therefrom, means for rotating the drum in one direction to wind the rope thereon, and means for yieldingly stopping the rotation of the drum in the rope unwinding direc-t tively movable members, a pair of interengaging devices between one side of said intermediate member and the adjacent memher and connecting devices interposed between the opposite side of said intermediate member and the other member, one of said connecting devices being at all times active.

31. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of two members one of which comprises a drum rotatable relative to the other member and arranged to have a rope wound thereon and unwound therefrom, means for rotating the drum in one direction to wind the rope thereon, and

means for yieldingly stopping the rotation of the drum in the rope.unwinding direction, the said means lncludmg an intermediate member arranged between said relatively n'rovable'members, pawl and ratchet devices between one side of said intermediate member and the adjacent member and means for controlling the unwinding of the rope when the trolley pole leaves the overhead'wire, the said means including pawl and ratchet mechanism and being constructed and arranged to maintain the pawl in operative relation to the ratchet during rebound of the trolley pole.

33. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a casing and a trolley rope adapted to be connected to a trolley pole, of a drum mounted in said casing, means for rotating said drum to wind the rope thereon, and means for controlling the unwinding of the rope when the trolly pole leaves the overhead wire, the said means including pawl and ratchet mechanism with a centrifugal operated pawl, the said means being constructed and arranged to malntain the pawl in operative relation to=the ratchet during 1 rebound of the trolley pole.

34. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a casing and a trolley rope adapted to be connected to a trolley pole, of a drum mounted in said casing, means for rotating said drum to wind the rope thereon, and means for controlling the unwinding of the rope when the trolley pole leaves the over head 'wire, the said means including a centrifugal pawl and ratchet mechanism and being constructed and arranged to maintain the pawl in operative relation to the ratchet during rebound of the trolley pole.

In a trolley catcher,,the combination with a casing and a trolley rope adapted to be connected to a trolley pole, of a drum mounted in said casing, means for rotating said drum to wind the rope thereon, and means for stopping the rotation of said drum relative to said casing when the speed of rotation of said drum reaches a predetermined rate. and for permitting rebound of the trolley-pole and consequent slack of i A. M. MoCAn'rY, FLORA B. LENZER.

Copies of this patent in? be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G. 

